Environmental Protection Agency regulation requirements

Coal containing 5.0 wt% S is burned at a rate of 1250 Ibm/min in a boiler furnace. All of the sulfur in the coal is oxidized to SO2. The product gas is sent to a scrubber in which most of the SO2 is removed, and the scrubbed gas then passes out of a stack. An Environmental Protection Agency regulation requires that the gas in the stack must contain no more than 0.018 Ibm SCh/lbm coal burned. To test compliance with this regulation a flowmeter and an SO analyzer are mounted in the stack. The volumetric flow rale of the scrubbed gas is found to be 2867 ft /s, and the SO analyzer reading is 37. Calibration data for the analyzer are given in the table below. 

Ethene and propene are produced as bulk feedstocks for the chemical (polymer) industry and therefore their purities are important parameters. In particular, H2S and COS are compounds which may not only cause corrosion problems in processing equipment, but also may have detrimental effects on the catalysts in use. Eurthermore, air pollution regulations issued by, among others, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) require that most of the sulfur gases should be removed in order to minimize Sulfur emissions into the atmosphere. Therefore, these compounds have to be determined to the ppb level. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires that the Federal Government be notified if more than 1 millicurie (3.7x10 Becquerels) of radioactivity from natural thorium is released into the environment. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued Maximum Permissible Concentrations (MPC) in air and water for workplace exposure to thorium. For more information on government regulations and guidelines, see Chapter 7. 

Government agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency set requirements for quality assurance for their own labs and for certification of other labs. Published standard methods specify precision, accuracy, numbers of blanks, replicates, and calibration checks. To monitor drinking water, regulations state how often and how many samples are to be taken. Documentation is necessary to demonstrate that all requirements have been met. Table 5-1 summarizes the quality assurance process. 

In some cases, product labels and hazards to consumers. Warning statements may be indicated by prudence or required by law. For example, agencies such as the U. S. Food and Drug Administration or the Environmental Protection Agency may require that detailed instructions and warnings accompany products which they regulate. 

In 1980 additional regulations imposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) required control of NOx (NO, N02, N20) emissions. Its removal coupled with the continuing need to remove CO and CyHn proved to be quite challenging because the latter had to be oxidized and the former reduced. Thus it appeared two separate environments were needed. This problem was solved by the development of the three-way catalyst or TWC capable of catalyzing the conversion of all three pollutants simultaneously provided the exhaust environment could be held within a narrow air-to-fuel range. This is shown in Fig. 7.10. 

An information sheet on properties of a material that meet certain combustible, toxic, or other hazardous threshold properties that are specified by the Environmental Protection Agency regulation Title III of the Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act (SARA). They also contain emergency and first aid procedures for the specified material. MSDSs are required to be provided and maintained by organizations that have hazardous materials. They are also required to provide copies to the local fire department for the purposes of fire fighter protection and preplanning. See also Hazard Communication (HAZCOM) Hazardous Material SARA Title III. 

Shipment of hydrazine solutions is regulated in the United States by the Department of Transportation (DOT) which classifies all aqueous solutions between 64.4 and 37% N2H4 as "Corrosive" materials with a subsidiary risk of "Poison". Hydrazine has been identified by both the Environmental Protection Agency and the DOT as a hazardous material and has been assigned a reportable quantity (RQ) of 0.450 kg (1 lb) if spilled. Dmms for the shipment of these solutions must bear both the DOT specification "Corrosive" and "Poison" labels in association with the markings "RQ Hydrazine Aqueous Solution UN 2030." Aqueous solutions of 37% concentration or less are a hazard Class 6.1, UN 3293, Packing Group III and require "Keep Away From Food" placards and labels. 

All four butanols are registered ia the United States on the Environmental Protection Agency Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory, a prerequisite for the manufacture or importation for commercial sale of any chemical substance or mixture ia quantities greater than a 1000 pounds (454 kg). Additionally, the manufacture and distribution of the butanols ia the United States are regulated under the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA), Section 313, which requires that anyone handling at least 10,000 pounds (4545 kg) a year of a chemical substance report to both the EPA and the state any release of that substance to the environment. 

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was enacted in 1976 to identify and control toxic chemical ha2ards to human health and the environment. One of the main provisions of TSCA was to estabUsh and maintain an inventory of all chemicals in commerce in the United States for the purpose of regulating any of the chemicals that might pose an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment. An initial inventory of chemicals was estabhshed by requiring companies to report to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) all substances that were imported, manufactured, processed, distributed, or disposed of in the United States. Over 50,000 chemical substances were reported. PoUowing this initial inventory, introduction of all new chemical substances requires a Premanufacturing Notification (PMN) process. To be included in the PMN are the identity of the new chemical, the estimated first year and maximum production volume, manufacture and process information, a description of proposed use, potential release to the environment, possible human exposure to the new substance, and any health or environmental test data available at the time of submission. In the 10 years that TSCA has been in effect, the USEPA has received over 10,000 PMNs and up to 10% of the submissions each year are for dyes (382)... 

Regulation of aircraft engine emissions has been made a national responsibility by law in the United States. The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for establishing emission limits of aircraft engines, and the Secretary of Transportation is required to prescribe regulations to ensure compliance with these limits. 

Effective with the 1982 model year, particulate matter from diesel vehicles was regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the first time, at a level of 0.37 gm km . Diesel vehicles were allowed to meet an NO level of 0.93 gm km under an Environmental Protection Agency waiver. These standards were met by a combination of control systems, primarily exhaust gas recirculation and improvements in the combustion process. For the 1985 model year, the standards decreased to 0.12 gm of particulate matter per kilometer and 0.62 gm of NO per kilometer. This required the use of much more extensive control systems (1). The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (2) have kept the emission standards at the 1985 model level with one exception diesel-fueled heavy trucks shall be required to meet an NO standard of 4.0 gm per brake horsepower hour. 

Water for injection (WFI) is the most widely used solvent for parenteral preparations. The USP requirements for WFI and purified water have been recently updated to replace the traditional wet and colorimetric analytical methods with the more modern and cost-effective methods of conductivity and total organic carbon. Water for injection must be prepared and stored in a manner to ensure purity and freedom from pyrogens. The most common means of obtaining WFI is by the distillation of deionized water. This is the only method of preparation permitted by the European Pharmacopoeia (EP). In contrast, the USP and the Japanese Pharmacopeias also permit reverse osmosis to be used. The USP has also recently broadened its definition of source water to include not only the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Primary Drinking Water Standards, but also comparable regulations of the European Union or Japan. 

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